Hallstatt Day Trip from Salzburg, Austria
Are you wondering how to take a Hallstatt day trip from Salzburg, Austria?
This guide will show you how to visit the picture-perfect town of Hallstatt on a day trip.
Hallstatt is often described as one of the most beautiful towns in Europe. This alpine village on the shores of Lake Hallstatt is surrounded by mountain peaks, providing it with a dramatic backdrop. The region of Austria that Hallstatt is located in has also been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It’s one of the most popular day trips to take from the city of Salzburg, Austria. But is it really worth it?
Below you’ll find everything you need to know about visiting Hallstatt on a day trip, including how to get there, the best things to do, and tips for making the most out of your visit to Hallstatt.
Getting to Hallstatt
The village of Hallstatt is located just under 50 miles from Salzburg. You have three options for getting to Hallstatt: driving yourself, taking an organized tour with coach bus transportation, or taking the train.
Here’s a closer look at each of those options:
Option 1: Driving yourself
One of the best ways to get to Hallstatt is to drive yourself. Driving takes about one hour and 15 minutes. You can get a rental car in Salzburg for as little as $50 for a full day through Discover Cars.
In Hallstatt, there are two large parking areas for day trippers, which cost up to €12 for the day. Both parking areas are just a short walk away from the center of the town, which is pedestrian-only.
The benefit of driving yourself is that you can make any stops you want along the way and spend as long as you’d like in Hallstatt. It’s important to note that you can’t reserve parking in advance, though, and since the parking areas can fill up, it’s a good idea to arrive in Hallstatt fairly early in the morning.
Option 2: Organized tour
Another option for visiting Hallstatt is taking an organized tour that includes transportation by coach bus. This is a good option if you don’t want to worry about the logistics of driving yourself.
This half-day tour is the exact one that I did. It includes pickup and dropoff from a central location in Salzburg and 2.5 hours of free time in Hallstatt. Honestly, I would have liked more time in Hallstatt and for this to be a full-day trip instead, but I looked around and couldn’t find any other tours that offer this.
If you just want to spend some time strolling for a couple of hours, this is a good option, but if I were to visit Hallstatt again, I would definitely rent a car and spend more time there on my own.
Option 3: Taking the train
What about public transportation? This is actually the least recommended way to visit Hallstatt because it’s such a hassle. There are no direct trains from Salzburg, so you’ll have to first take a train to Attnang-Puchheim (50 minutes) and then transfer and take another train to Hallstatt (one hour and 15 minutes.)
The train station in Hallstatt is also located across the lake from the town itself, so you’ll then have to take a ferry. The total travel time when you factor all this in can be well over 2.5 hours each way.
Train tickets can cost as little as $25 round-trip, but more often you’ll find it in the $40 to $70 range. Then add in €8 for round-trip ferry tickets and this isn’t a particularly cheap option either.
Things to Do in Hallstatt
Now that we’ve covered getting to Hallstatt, let’s talk about the best things to do.
The town itself is very small and walkable. You can walk from one end to the other in about twenty minutes. Of course, you’ll want to take your time and have a leisurely stroll, stopping to admire the scenic viewpoints, pop into the shops, and have lunch or coffee at one of the restaurants or cafes in town.
Here’s an overview of the best things to do in Hallstatt:
Get that postcard view. You’ve probably seen this famous viewpoint in photos of Hallstatt. You can find it on Google Maps as “Aussichtspunkt Hallstatt” and it’s a beautiful view of the town and lake.
Take in views from the Hallstatt Skywalk. Another scenic viewpoint is the Hallstatt Skywalk, which offers impressive panoramic vistas of the town, lake, and mountains from above. You can either hike up here (which takes about one hours) or take the funicular, which is €24 round-trip for adults.
Tour the salt mine. Hallstatt is home to the oldest salt mine in the world (7,000 years old!), and it’s open for tours. Tickets are €43 for adults and this also includes round-trip admission to the funicular.
Visit the Hallstatt Charnel House. The Hallstatt Charnel House, also known as the Bone House, is a spooky yet interesting place to visit in town. Located in St. Michael’s Chapel, which dates back to the 12th century, this ossuary is filled with thousands of skulls and bones. Entry is €2 for adults.
Get out on the water. Lake Hallstatt is absolutely stunning, and it’s worth getting out on the water to take in the views. The best way to do this is by riding the ferry, which departs from central Hallstatt, in a circle around the lake. Tickets cost between €8 and €18 depending on which route you choose.
Hallstatt Day Trip from Vienna
Is it possible to visit Hallstatt on a day trip from Vienna, Austria?
So far I’ve talked about how to visit from Salzburg, a smaller city in the mountains that is much closer to Hallstatt. But what if you’re staying in the capital Vienna and want to visit Hallstatt for the day?
Honestly, I would not recommend it.
There is a direct train from Vienna to Hallstatt, but it takes a full three hours and again, you would have to then take the ferry across the lake to reach the town. So you’re looking at over six hours in transit.
Driving takes close to 3.5 hours. This full-day tour from Vienna includes coach bus transportation to Hallstatt, and you do make several stops along the way, but it’s still a very long day of driving.
There are lots of better day trips from Vienna that don’t require six or seven hours in transit just to see one town. Unless you really have your heart set on Hallstatt, I wouldn’t recommend it from Vienna.
Is Hallstatt Worth It?
Is visiting Hallstatt actually worth it? Since Hallstatt has become so popular in recent years and seems to be on everyone’s bucket list, the tiny village has definitely felt the strain from overtourism.
Some people visit Hallstatt and complain that it feels like a crowded theme park rather than a real village. That wasn’t personally my experience, but I also went on a weekday in late November.
I think that if I’d gone on a weekend or visited during the summer months, the town would have been a lot more crowded. And there’s no denying that Hallstatt is a very touristy little village.
But I still think that it’s worth it. It’s popular for a reason, and the views are truly spectacular. The only issue I had with visiting Hallstatt was not having quite enough time since I was limited to just 2.5 hours on my tour. In the future, I’d get a rental car and stay for a full day, or even spend the night in Hallstatt.
Visiting Hallstatt is worth it any time of year. When I went, there had just been a big snowfall, so Hallstatt looked like a true winter wonderland. It’s also beautiful in the fall when the leaves are changing, and during the spring and summer when it slowly starts to warm up and everything turns green again.
I do recommend visiting on a weekday if you can to avoid some of the crowds.
How to Take a Day Trip to Hallstatt
This guide showed you how to take a Hallstatt day trip from Salzburg.
Hallstatt is one of the most picturesque villages in Europe, and it’s easy to see why it has become so popular with tourists. As long as you plan accordingly and know what to expect, you’ll have a great time.
Have a great time in Hallstatt!
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